


if i believe you

by mywa



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Among Us (Video Game) Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, I think?, Light Swearing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, amongs us lobby codes as ship names, no beta we die like lmanberg, parasite-infected impostors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26874565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mywa/pseuds/mywa
Summary: An emergency meeting has been declared, please proceed to the cafeteria immediately.Dream furrowed his brow after reading his communicator, confusion and a trickle of worry making themselves present in his mind. He puts his comm back on his belt, ignoring the way it was still rapidly vibrating and beeping. It's not going to be turning off until he gets to the cafeteria. Shutting the panel of wiring that he had been doing, he hastily packs up and makes his way out of the electrical room.An emergency meeting had never been declared before.-Or where the crew of Pogchamp (officially known as ship code-name PGCHMP) are faced with the news that they might have parasitic crewmates on board, during space travel.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 23
Kudos: 93





	1. electrical is always risky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone point and laugh at how i wrote this right as i'm beginning exams
> 
> title comes from If I Believe You by The 1975 :D

**_An emergency meeting has been declared, please proceed to the cafeteria immediately._ **

Dream furrowed his brow after reading his communicator, confusion and a trickle of worry making themselves present in his mind. He puts his comm back on his belt, ignoring the way it was still rapidly vibrating and beeping. It's not going to be turning off until he gets to the cafeteria. Shutting the panel of wiring that he had been doing, he hastily packs up and makes his way out of the electrical room.

An emergency meeting had never been declared before.

His mind had been so preoccupied with that thought, so much so that he didn't notice the quiet clang of _something_ slamming shut behind him.

When he made his way into the cafeteria, it was to the sound of panicked bickering, with the air full of tension. This doesn't look good. He struggles to keep up with the talking around him. 

"-and if they're down, what makes you think we won't be next?"

"But it was weeks ago.. that doesn't mean-"

"What about GSJNAB huh? It took far longer to get _them_ down, and _this_ -" 

"GSJ has nothing to do with this, what matters is that we're far from-" 

" _Nothing to do with this?_ Do you even hear yourself-" 

_This is getting nowhere_. Loudly, he exclaims, "What the hell is going on?" and lifts his hands hurriedly to placate the intense eyes that move to look at him. His heart almost stops at the attention.

"Dream," George said, face worried and nervously picking at his gloves, "WXRRQK went off grid at 0400 this morning."

A stone settled itself in his gut.

"No way," he denied, jaw set in a stubborn line, body suddenly tense. There's no way. 

In response to that, he could feel the rest of the crew get restless again, looking at each other with distrust and paranoia.

He makes eye contact with Eret, and the man graciously nods his head towards something on the table. A report. "It was sent in just now."

Dream takes it and skims through it, noting the key points. 

_… personnel of ship code-name WXRRQK had been compromised…_

_… harbored parasites…_

_… come in contact, be vigilant…_

.. No way. 

".. Fuck."

The murmurs then rise in volume, and Wilbur quickly tries to rein them back in, "Okay, okay, look. I know it sounds bad-"

" _Bad_? Wilbur this is terrible-!"

" _I know_ , Tubbo. Okay? I know. But we have no confirmation that they had a parasite on board when we rendezvoused with them for supplies. It was weeks ago and they were still a ten-person crew then." Wilbur took a deep breath and sighed, though it didn't look like it helped much. Dream could see how hard he was gripping the rim of his helmet. This was the most tense Dream had ever seen him.

Wilbur looked them all in the eye, and Dream knew then that Wilbur didn't even believe his own words. _The fact that they were a ten-crew makes it worse for us_ , he thinks dismally.

Their captain continues, "We will be sticking together. Do your tasks in pairs, and threes. Do not be alone. Any suspicious activity will be reported to me or Dream." Wilbur looks at him and nods. He nods back, face grim. 

Dream looks around at their crew of nine. He saw how Eret was looking at anything other than the table, saw how Tubbo and Tommy were already sticking close, their shoulders brushing, the anxious eyes of Niki, boring into the back of Wilbur's skull. Saw the way Fundy ducked his head, his hunched stature and drooped ears already betraying his thoughts.

He saw the worried gaze of Sapnap trying to catch his eye, and the blank face of George, now staring at his boots, gloves forgotten. 

_Fuck._

×××

"This is bad."

"No duh George, you think this is a simple case of running out of supplies?" Sapnap rolled his eyes, his body looking aglow with the gridded lines that phased around him. He visibly had to restrain himself from moving during the Medical Bay scan. Probably from shoving George. 

"Obviously that's not what I mean!" huffed George, aiming a half-hearted glare at Sapnap while making his way to the black-haired man and pushing him off the scanner.

"George! I was scanning!"

"No duh Sapnap." Accompanied by a roll of eyes. Dream snickers, glad that his friends were still themselves even with the threat of parasites over their head. Their noisy bickering filling the walls of MedBay, Dream gratefully lets himself relax. He wanted to momentarily forget what happened in the cafeteria and the implications it had on their future stay on the ship. 

"Hurry up, Sapnap. We still have tasks to do. You're slowing us down."

"Right like I can just ask the machine to _pretty please scan faster_ as if it even has voice recogniti- _George!_ Stop _pushing_ me!" 

Dream rolls his eyes, _They bicker over the stupidest things_ , he thinks, then moves his attention to the samples in the corner. For state-of-the-art technology, this task sure did take a while. Maybe he'll head up to engines and do something there? 

He sees a flash of white pass by the MedBay doors. 

_Scratch that. I need to talk to him._

So much for trying to relax.

He pushes off from the bed and quickly exits the room, the bickering of Sapnap and George still annoyingly loud as it filtered into the echoey halls. "Wilbur!" 

Said man stops and stiffly turns around, his white goggles flashing as he pushes them up into his hair. Tensely, "What?"

"We're still heading to Caelus right?" Dream asks, ignoring that Wil obviously doesn't want to be bothered, "Do you really think that's a good idea?" 

Wilbur's mouth sets into a grim line, arms moving to cross in front of his chest, "Nothing's happened. It's just news that another crew went down, we shouldn't be changing our plans because of it."

Dream frowns. Wilbur should know better than that. Caelus is a populated planet. Voice low, he says, "We may have made contact weeks ago, but that whole ten-crew went down in that same amount of time."

Wilbur scoffs, already turning away. Dream grabs his shoulder and presses, "You know as much as I do that that's the fastest a crew has ever gone down. The parasites usually-" 

Roughly, Wilbur shushes him, eyes darting to and fro around the cafeteria. Dream glares and pushes, "As your second-in-command, I think you should be upfront of what we could be facing here," he grips his shoulder harder, "And we shouldn't be heading to Caelus if we've been compromised. Wil, you know this."

Wilbur's eyes flash as he pushes Dream back, he snarls. "And _you_ know as much as I do that the second we report ourselves as compromised, Command will abandon us, and not to mention that _if we're actually compromised_ -" 

"Dream?" 

Sapnap. Dream turns around, sees Sapnap a few steps behind him, George's blue suit just turning the corner into the cafeteria, his eyes sharp. He hopes he's not too obvious in forcing the tension out of his body as he turns to his friends.

Wilbur has already left. 

"It's nothing," he replies, mouth dry, "Are my samples done yet?"

Sapnap looks over to the door Wilbur just left through, his face marred with worry. "Dream," he says, making sure to look him in the eye, "It's bad isn't it?" 

Hearing that, Dream sighs, rubs a hand down his face, "I.. I don't know. There's supposed to be a protocol for this."

"And you're vice-captain," George puts in, leaning forward, "You can override his orders anytime."

Dream pushes back his frustration at the situation, not wanting to snap at his friends. "Yes, but it's not that simple. You've heard the cases where a crew reported close-contact, you remember what I told you? About what happened to them?"

Both of their faces look confused, Dream gives them a moment to process. News about old spacecrews wasn't something openly shared with regular crewmates, but Dream trusts his friends.

Realising what he means, Sapnap rears back. Shock, fear, anger, cycles through his face, and finally, understanding. His jaw clenched as he hunched his shoulders, voice unsteady, "Guys let's just finish our tasks for today. I don't wanna talk about this anymore." He starts moving back to MedBay, then looks back at them. 

George looks between them, still confused. He looks at Dream. Then, he gasps, though it doesn't take him long to settle himself down. Pale as the old Earth chalk Dream had once found in his grandfather's storage room, he says quietly, "Your samples are probably done Dream." 

×××

Wilbur thunks the back of his head on the wall as he hears the others' footsteps fade away. He's fully leaning against it, legs unsteady, goggles in hand. His wide, foggy eyes are darting around at the ceiling as though looking for answers that weren't there. Panting and shaking where he stands, he looks as if he's about to explode.

He closes his eyes. 

One breath, two. Another. More and more, until he knows he's back. Until he can feel his toes and the edges of his fingers. 

He takes one last deep breath, puts on his goggles, tucks his hands into his lab coat to hide how they still shake. 

He walks down the hall of Administration, goes into storage. 

Then he turns left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise, surprise! this is my first work!
> 
> i plan on continuing this, but as i said i'm starting exams so aaa
> 
> also i can't believe after years of being on here my first fic is for mcyt how much of a simp can i be


	2. swipe card has favourites

Dream, Sapnap, and George had been together for the better part of the day and honestly? Their bickering was starting to _really_ get to him. He's surprised they're even getting any tasks done considering how much they focus more of their effort on arguing instead. 

_Screw the buddy system_ , he internally disavows, finishing off the last of the navigation routes for the ship. _I'm out of here._

The two barely notice Dream leaving, too focused on hogging the download router in the corner. Dream rolls his eyes at them as he leaves. Not that they could have seen that anyway, since he never takes his helmet off.

While walking, he checks his comm for any other tasks he has left.

_Admin: Swipe Card_

He had forgotten about that. He hadn't wanted to step in Admin all day, ushering George and Sapnap to go anywhere else. The report on WXRRQK was bound to be on the Admin table, a stark reminder of what exactly was looming over them. 

As he makes his way to Administration, he sees Fundy and Niki by the wires at the end of the hall, quietly chatting between themselves. Apparently Fundy was the one doing wires, while Niki he assumes is accompanying him. Even though Fundy was doing wires very, very badly Niki simply laughed good-naturedly, waiting patiently. _Niki is always nice like that_ , he thinks. 

As he steps into Admin he's met with the sight of Tommy angrily swiping his card through the scanner repeatedly, every attempt earning him a harsh buzz in reprimand. Seeing him, Tommy hastily explains himself, "This stupid thing just can't scan cards!" 

Dream watches on, amused. He's not even going to pretend to help, just to be polite. 

Tommy glares at Dream, the stupid smiley face on his visor seemingly mocking him. That guy in the blue suit—George—had drawn it on him for laughs a few days into their trip. Dream had kept it all this time, though it made him look like an idiot. But no one asked Tommy.

Looking back at his card, he changes tactics. Now, he embodies a turtle. Ever so gently, he pushes his card through the scanner as if trying to guide a baby to take their first steps. 

The card leaves the scanner and for a few silent milliseconds, the machine processes Tommy's card.

_Bzz._

Dream—politely—tries not to snort. He huffs out a quiet laugh before Tommy can notice. 

"Oh my god," Tommy says to the scanner. "Fuck you."

"No Tommy, you're just bad," Dream remarks, fully moving into Admin.

Tommy splutters, indignant. While he fumbles in thinking of a good comeback, Dream plucks his card out of his hand, and swipes it through. 

Tommy instantly quiets.

The machine gives an approving hum. 

Tommy splutters again, this time in outrage. Dream now openly laughs, smug. 

"You just- You- That was just luck!" He declares, rudely grabbing back his card. 

Dream raises an eyebrow, smirking, "Not even a thank you, Tommy?" He sighs for dramatics, while also swiping his own card through. "Kids these days."

"I am not a child. I told you, I'm a man-" 

Tommy cuts himself off in a gasp, startled at the sudden darkness that envelops them. Dream barely manages to gasp out loud himself. Around them was pitch black, and Dream could barely make out Tommy in the darkness. _What happened to the lights?_

He can feel Tommy shuffling around. Wanting to lighten the mood, he says, "See Tommy? Your hundreds of failed swipes used up all our electricity."

Tommy huffs, the darkness having subdued him. Dream doesn't think Tommy realises that he's moved even closer to him since the lights went out. "Okay," he relents, taking mercy on the poor guy. No matter how much Tommy huffs and puffs, he was still pretty young compared to the rest of the crewmates. "I still have a download to do here I think, you should stay with."

Seeing an opportunity, Tommy pounces on it. "What," he goaded. "Is mighty Dream scared of the dark?" 

Dream chuckles, taking ahold of Tommy's wrist and dragging him over to the router, "Just watch my back."

Surprisingly, Tommy does just that, squinting his eyes to see through the darkness of the hallway. "I can't see shit."

"Then you just have bad eyes," Dream throws back distractedly, focused on the download. In the edge of his vision—which really isn't that much currently—he sees Tommy shuffling his feet again, glancing at him, then down the hall, then back at him. Was he really that nervous over the dark? 

"Do you think.. maybe we should go check it out?" 

Dream hums, "The lights?" 

Tommy gives him a look that the lime-suited man doesn't see, "Obviously the lights." 

Tommy tacks on, "What, you think I want to check out the new ice cream flavour Fundy cooked up?" 

Dream was about to reply on how a youngster like Tommy would of course want to do that, until suddenly they were awash with bright, fluorescent light. They both squint at each other as their eyes get used to it.

Tommy raises his eyebrows at him, "I thought we were going to have to start burning torches like in the early 2000s or something."

Dream snorts, "The early 2000s wasn't like ancient civilization Tommy."

As if coming to a realisation, the teen looks at Dream up and down, "Oh, I'm sorry if I offended you." He asks innocently, "Were you born then?" 

Dream laughs, "Listen here you little-" 

Suddenly loud, heavy footsteps make way to them. As they step aside in surprise, Fundy—looking like he just got out of a fight— runs past them, harried and frantic, not even acknowledging them as he passes. He runs into the cafeteria. 

Glancing at each other, Dream and Tommy quickly follow. 

A loud alarm resounds itself throughout the cafeteria as their comms start beeping and vibrating. 

**_An emergency meeting has been declared, please proceed to the cafeteria immediately._ **

"Again?" Tommy asks, incredulous, "Fundy, what happened to you?" 

Fundy was bent at the knees and trying to catch his breath beside the main table, where the red emergency button was. He shakes his head, giving no answer.

 _He really does look like he had gotten into a fight_ , Dream observes, looking over the man-fox, _his brown suit is crumpled, and.. blood. That's blood._

Tubbo was the first to arrive, looking confused and then concerned at the state of Fundy. Tubbo opens his mouth but promptly shuts it as Dream raises his hand, signalling for silence. 

They'll wait for the others.

×××

Once everyone had been seated, Fundy clears his throat. 

"Someone," Fundy announces, "tried to kill me."

Stunned, they all look at each other. 

Eyes darting, sweat dripping. 

Hearts thumping. 

And so it begins.

"Well then," Wilbur says slowly, "where was everyone?" 

"I was with Sapnap and George in the weapons unit," Tubbo answers quickly. He glances to the two, "They can vouch for me."

George looks uneasy, fingers moving to pick at his gloves. "To be fair Tubbo.. you were only with us for like, only a second."

"Yeah," Sapnap butts in, raising his eyebrows, "when lights went out, you booked it out of there like no tomorrow." 

Sapnap looks Tubbo up and down, "You could've been trying to look for someone lone wolf-ing, since you couldn't do that with me and George."

Tubbo's eyes widen, and his voice pitches as he nearly yells, "It was only because I didn't want to be near anyone! What-What if- You two could have killed me!"

Sapnap opens his mouth to argue, but Dream quickly cuts him off, "Let's not randomly accuse people." He looks at Tubbo, willing for him to calm down, "I'm sure it wasn't you Tubbo."

Raising a gloved hand, Dream gestures to Fundy. Trying to not make his voice sound accusing, he says, "You didn't even say where you were attacked, Fundy."

"Pretty suspicious if you ask me," Eret mutters. The man doesn't elaborate. Dream opts to ignore him. It's best not to indulge in paranoia.

Fundy glances at Eret. Holding eye contact, voice firm, he informs them, "I was attacked in electrical. I went in there to turn on lights. Suddenly I'm being shoved to the side and pushed into the wall."

"We had a scuffle," he continues, "It was definitely a guy, too. So it couldn't have been Niki."

Said pink-suited woman had her eyebrows scrunched together and he could practically feel the wave of worry coming off of her. It was unfortunate that she was the only woman on board, but at least he knows she can be trusted. Niki would never be capable of murder.

They're all silent for a moment, digesting the information. Sapnap speaks up again.

"So, Eret," Sapnap drawls, "Where were you last round, huh?" 

Eret minutely firms his lips into a line, then answers back, "I was in MedBay."

"MedBay.. what would you be doing in MedBay?" 

"Doing tasks, obviously," Eret spits out, clenching his hands. "This is stupid," he fumes, "If Fundy was actually attacked in electrical, he'd be dead."

Fundy growls, baring his teeth, "You're calling me a liar?" 

"Obviously!" Eret exclaims. "Look at you, you're part fox! You have claws and canines and everything, yet you can't beat back a human man? I call bullshit." 

"I think," Eret continues. "You're trying to stave suspicion off of yourself. So when you finally start killing, no one suspects you."

"So you think he like," George shapes his hands into claws, "hurt _himself?_ " 

"That's ridiculous!" Fundy yells. "Why would I ever do that?" 

"Because you're the killer," whispers Wilbur, gaze far away. "And you'd do anything to sate your bloodlust."

_Now wait a minute.._

Dream doesn't get an opportunity to continue his train of thought, when all of their comms beep. 

**_The meeting currently in session will soon reach the time limit. Please close discussion and disband to continue remaining tasks._ **

"Okay," Dream stands up, knowing what he had to do. "Thank you, Fundy, for informing us about this."

He then makes sure to look everyone in the eyes as he says, "I believe it's time we update ourselves on the current situation at hand."

He glances at Wilbur before he says anything else, but the man doesn't so much as blink as he stares at the table. Quickly returning his gaze to the others, he continues, "I think we can be sure in the assumption that a parasite must have gotten on board when we rendezvoused with WXR a few weeks back." 

All their turn grim at this, knowing of what was to come. Their ship, where they had been a crew together for the past year, was no longer a place for sweet memories. Soon, there will be bloodshed.

Soon, it will be the place of their nightmares.

"So," Dream takes a breath. "We know there is an impostor among us." 

And he knows the next time they all find themselves at this table, there's not going to be 9 people anymore. 

The next time they're at this table, it'll be because one of them will already be dead. 

He knows that that person could be him.

Worse yet, it could be one of his friends.

At that thought, Dream smiles wobbly at them all— _this is going to be the last time we'll all be together, **alive**_ —"Please do your tasks, and don't panic. Stay safe, stay together. We can do this guys."

_They were his friends._

_His crew._

_And one of them isn't going to be here tomorrow._

"Meeting adjourned."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got this one done earlier than expected so i thought i'd post it anyway! expect the third chapter in a week or so, since my more tougher subjects will be coming up in the exam this week
> 
> also i figured out who's dying :))


	3. cafeteria, and a deafening silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's tense and on edge. The longer the crew goes like this, the more the distrust grows. Something needs to happen or Dream's going to break.
> 
> Something _does_ happen, but he breaks all the more because of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have returned from death. celebrate me, mortals

Dream is in the lower engine room, filling in gas. Or at least he thinks he is in Lower Engine. He’s pretty sure. Or was it Upper Engine?

Dream doesn’t let the thought linger. He knows he hasn’t been sleeping all too well. Ever since Fundy came out of Electrical looking like hunted prey with his tail between his legs, Dream finds it hard to be lulled to sleep nowadays. And who could blame him?

Dream is the second-in-command, after Wilbur. He has a responsibility to report their situation to Command since Wilbur obviously isn’t going to, yet he’s seen with his own eyes what that will lead to.

For everyone’s sake, he's gonna ignore that whole thing entirely, for now.

Dream does not want to be the one to blow that whistle anyway.

He finches at a sudden clang that reaches his ears. He shifts around a door to get a glimpse and sees Wilbur leaving Electrical, the man having also jumped at the sound. Wilbur glances back into the room for a moment before catching Dream’s eyes. “Ah,” the man says, sheepish, “I closed the panel too hard. I think it slammed too hard and came back open.”

Dream gives a noncommittal hum. He stares.

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” Wilbur continues, without prompt. “You know how it is Dream.”

He looks right into Dream’s eyes and Dream notices a gentle red rimming Wilbur’s own. Wilbur forces a small smile, eyes nervous.

Dream nods sharply, turning around back into—what he is now sure is—Lower Engine. If he tries to listen hard enough, he could hear Wilbur walking back into Electrical.

Dream has worked with his captain even months before they were paired for this crew. He knows deep down Wilbur needs good sleep to function normally, but he just can’t help it. 

_What if?_

Dream shakes his head. The rest of his crew haven't been sleeping well either. No one has been attacked since what happened with Fundy. And because of that, they’re all jumpy, on edge. It’s reasonable. It’s fine.

He takes a deep breath through his nose and accidentally forces a yawn that threatens to bring tears. Blinking rapidly at the gas tank, he distantly goes through the motion of taking out the vial of gas.

As he leaves the room, he can’t help but feel like he’s being watched. Unbidden, his blood starts to pump to the rhythm of his anxious heart. His eyes quickly glance back.

No one is there, but...

_Nope._

Dream turns tail and leaves. He’s not gonna dwell on it.

He passes by Electrical and notes that Wilbur isn’t there anymore.

_Like hunted prey_ , his mind whispers.

-

He’s in Admin when Eret comes in, mumbling under his breath and toying with his communicator.

Dream doesn’t exactly have any solid proof against Eret to feel suspicious of him, but Eret is the only person nowadays who isn’t afraid of being alone in a room with someone. Why is that? It’s weird.

Casually, he puts himself behind the admin table, right at the card scanner. Now the table sits between them.

Eret glances at him and looks away. The tension in the room wasn’t exactly something palpable, but more like an undercurrent beneath their guise of calm. 

This undercurrent of tension has managed to work itself between everyone in the crew. Dream mourns that it took such a short time for them all to get to this point.

Wordlessly, Eret pulls up the map of the ship that shows the location of all the crew members. His eyes track the movements religiously, as if that helps with anything. Eret might as well just stalk cams, like how Sapnap has taken to doing instead of _completing_ his _tasks._ Dream huffs at the thought, suddenly miffed. 

Glancing at Eret again, he inwardly sighs. Dream turns back to what he had been doing before Eret came in. Punz’s weekly recovery report looks back at him. His heart immediately softens.

The crew had left the man back on the planet Haemus after the idiot had hurt himself in a routine exploratory trip. It had been around a month ago when they had left him there to recover, his injuries being too critical to be fit for space travel. Their time there had been nerve-wracking for sure, because Haemus is a _very_ mountainous planet and Punz’s injuries weren’t something to be made light of. They could’ve lost him.

In spite of that though, he’s been recovering very well. Dream unconsciously lets a small smile slip through at his friend’s progress so far. He can’t wait to see him again.

_If we ever _can_ see him again._

His mood dampens. But he’s grateful Punz isn’t here to go through this hell in space.

Dream glances at Eret again. He can’t help but to gauge the other from time to time. The man’s blackout sunglasses make it hard to read him, but he can see the tension lining Eret’s shoulders.

Dream wishes he could go back.

-

_“Wilbur, check this guy out.”_

_Using his tablet, Dream sends over the resume of a potential candidate for their crew to his friend, now also captain. He can hear the ping go through on Wilbur’s end._

_“Hm,” Wilbur raises an eyebrow, nodding slowly, “not bad.”_

_Wilbur’s eyes roam over the file, and he hums again, “Yeah, we can put him in for an interview.”_

_Wilbur’s eyes gleam at him as he smirks, “Good eye.”_

-

_Dream shakes his hand with the man named Eret, who’s smiling wide. “Thank you again,” Eret insists, his deep voice genuine, “really, thank you so much for this opportunity.”_

_Dream chuckles, handing over the rest of Eret’s uniform and holding out his company ID. “Seriously, it’s all you,” he grins, “welcome to the crew.”_

_Warmly, Eret smiles, taking the ID in hand. Dream may not be able to see his eyes but he can tell the guy practically has stars in them._

_Eret looks to him again and his face screams gratitude. “I’m very glad to be here.”_

-

_“Okay, this is the reactor core-”_

_The fox-hybrid gapes, “Dude! This is so cool.”_

_Dream chuckles, “You’re only gonna be star-struck now, the amount of maintenance though..”_

_Fundy glances at him, and Dream cringes good-naturedly, “It leaves much to ask for.”_

_“That doesn’t matter,” Fundy insists, practically vibrating in excitement, “I’ve always worked at far-off bases at like, the edges of the galaxy man, this is the biggest reactor core I have ever seen!”_

_“Not to mention,” he continues, gesturing grandly, “space travel! I’ve been waiting all my life for this.”_

_Fundy’s tail swishes as he turns to Dream, arms wide as if wanting to go for a hug, “This is a dream come true.”_

_Dream feels happiness swell in his heart at that. That was him, a few years ago. He knows the euphoria all too well._

_He can’t wait to start working with these amazing people._

-

Dream is in the cafeteria, now. He doesn’t really have any tasks in here today but he thought it would be nice to take a bit of a break. He sighs at the list of tasks he has yet to do.

Their ship isn’t exactly top of the line anymore. It needs constant maintenance, and it certainly isn’t equipped with the best of technology now. Except, the tasks that they were normally required to do were things that made sense. 

Clearing the garbage chute, filling the gas, inspecting MedBay samples. Common, normal tasks.

Now, the tasks have gone up in number, and day by day they range from something harmless to something that could seriously screw over their ship.

There are times when they need to open up the panelling on the ship and realign the wires. Other times, their ship is put slightly off course, and someone has to go in and right it again. Sometimes some of the ship’s primary shields lose power and you have to go manually divert the energy to them. It’s driving his nerves through the roof. So many things that shouldn’t be going wrong, just plainly going _wrong_. 

Dream just hopes the lights don’t flicker off again. He’s not scared of the dark, but he could soon be if history decided to repeat itself.

Fiddling with his communicator, Dream bites the inside of his lip. He has to clear asteroids next. Easy enough by itself, except he just doesn’t like hanging out in there alone anymore. It used to bring him comfort, the sounds of the ship. Now though, he can’t help but look over his shoulder at every little sound he hears.

And the Weapons area just creeps him out now for some reason.

Nevertheless, the man in a neon green space suit sucks it up and heads over to it. _Better now than-_

The doors shut aburptly. Dream recoils and feels the woosh of air against his face.

“God,” Dream scowls, “that could’ve flattened me.”

He looks around the cafeteria for a different exit and sees that all the doors are shut.

_Okay…_

Throat dry, Dream turns back to the door to Weapons and lightly puts his palm against it. It doesn’t budge. Dream looks around again at the other closed doors and suddenly feels like a rat in a mouse trap.

He can distinctly hear his breathing now.

He puts his back to the Weapons door, feeling the cold metal against his suit. Eyes wide and searching.

It’s not like anyone could even kill him here right? No one can reach him, whether it be crewmate, or killer. But then again, he wouldn’t put it past them. Locked room murders aren’t exactly new. And technology is super advanced now, sure yeah maybe they didn’t have anything close to that on the ship, but you never know what parasitic minds can do-

Dream gasps, and realises he hadn’t exactly been, well, breathing. He slowly slides down to sit, his back still to the door. He puts his hand on his chest and wills his heart to calm.

It’s fine. 

He’ll be fine.

-

_“You’re from Polus?” Sapnap asks him excitedly, eyes gleaming, his whole body leaning forward towards Dream._

_“No _way_ are you from Polus too!” Dream wheezes, “That’s insane!”_

_“Oh my god, what are the odds dude,” Sapnap grins, hand slapping Dream’s back. Dream laughs again, not believing how he and Sapnap could’ve met so far out in space. They were a long ways away from home, the chances were insane. Finally, someone to relate to his childhood stories._

_“So this is your first trip out in space I take it?” Sapnap bobs his head to the side, his black bangs languidly following his movements. “This is my first time,” he adds._

_“Nah, I’ve been active in space for two years now,” Dream waves a hand. He smirks, “‘Guess I’m your senior.”_

_Sapnap rolls his eyes, “Okay boomer.”_

_Dream quirks a brow, “Boomer? The heck is that?”_

_Sapnap shrugs, “I don’t actually know.” He grins, bumping Dream with his elbow, “Something my great grandma used to say. So it must be an old people thing, right?”_

_Dream barks out a laugh, wheezing, “If it’s old people slang then you using it means you’re old!”_

_“No! Boomer means you’re the one who’s old.”_

_Sapnap pauses, face creased in thought. “I mean, I’m pretty sure it does.”_

_“Yeah,” Dream nods slowly, lengthening the vowels. He tilts his head and clasps his hands in front of him. Dream wills himself not to laugh as he looks at Sapnap, trying to exude a patronisingly kind aura. “Whatever you say, sir.”_

_“You ass.”_

_“I think it’s time you take your medicine. Shall we?”_

_Sapnap slaps him upside the head, and Dream laughs without abandon. He feels light._

-

Dream has been stuck in the cafeteria for the better part of an hour now. He’s become restless, walking ‘round and ‘round the tables, unable to stay still. Has no one noticed his predicament yet? Is he going to stay here all day and night? Can they even get him out?

Are they going to pry the doors open and eventually find his rotting corpse? 

Dream has had many opportunities to think about death, but he didn’t think he’d be forced to put heed in them so soon. He wishes the doors would open already. He hears a tiny creak sounding somewhere in the cafeteria, echoing his sentiment.

Dream stops abruptly. _What?_

“No wait-” Dream shuts his mouth. _Don’t let them hear you, idiot._

Lips flattened into a line, Dream’s eyes roam around the cafeteria. There’s no sign of anything, yet he’s sure the sound just now wasn’t simply the ship ‘settling.’ Ships don’t settle. Not like that at least. Creaks are for rusty panels opening and old busted chairs when people sit on them.

Not in this wide room lined with glossy silver and metal.

_Is this how they’re gonna play? Putting us in these mouse traps?_

Gods.

Backing up onto a door, Dream tries to ignore his ‘freeze’ instinct. He’s a _researcher_ damn it, not a fighter, this is way out of his knowledge base. He can barely hold his own against his cat.

Dream gasps quietly, trying to calm his mind (again). He strains his ears to hear anything other than the monotonous hum of the ship. His vision blurs in his effort.

And then he hears it.

Distant shuffling low in the ground, to his right. He can hear it. The light steps that are wild, frenzied, and moving away from him. His eyes track the path of movement through the sound. It’s heading straight for a different room. Not here? 

No.

_I’m not the one in a mouse trap._

He turns toward the door he’s leaning on. He bangs on it. “Hey!”

A far away voice immediately answers him, as though in surprise. His mind, frankly, refuses to recognise it out of fear of what could be coming, but Dream persists.

Taking a breath, Dream yells again, “Run!”

“ _Are you okay?_ ” They yell back, unhearing. There’s a grunt as whoever this is tries to push against the door. Dream bangs on it fervently now, pushing his face closer to it.

“No please! _Run_!”

“ _Hey it’s gonna be okay! I’m trying to get the door open._ ”

_Not like this._

Desperation is leached into his voice. “No, go away!”

_Please, not like this._

Another creak, but Dream hears it somewhere behind the door. He’s petrified. He bangs the door in vain, yelling for someone who’s trying to open it and help _him_ instead.

Sounds travel to him again. 

A shuffling of boots. A yelp, right there behind the door. Dream flinches away as the person is banged against it. There’s a scuffle happening right in front of him, someone fighting for their life _right in front of him_ , and he can do nothing but listen to it happen, with the cadence of his heart thumping in his ears.

For the rest of the ship, the screams will barely be heard, smothered by a cruel hand. But for Dream, so close yet _helpless_ , they’ll be etched in his memory. In his mind’s eye, he can hear the slice of a blade against skin. See the sag of a body. See eyes go hazy without life.

And it goes quiet. 

There’s footsteps, walking away. Walking _away_.

Muted terror passes through Dream.

Someone’s harsh breathing reaches his ears, or maybe that’s just himself. He backs away even further, putting his hands up in front of him although he doesn’t know what for. There’s black at the edges of his vision. His mind is loud yet silent as his eyes slowly travel down the door.

There is red, seeping under it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you tell i'm really trying to test dream's mental strength? the man isn't gonna have nightmares about minecraft iron doors, it's gonna be among us doors!
> 
> also! i use the term 'researcher' loosely here, considering that i have dream as 21 and he well, doesn't exactly have a phd lol. i have some loose lore in mind for it but i'm not sure when or if i can ever include it
> 
> expect the next update,, some time, in the future? i have a lot going on rn but i promise i'll finish this fic, cause i'm starting to get really attached lmao
> 
> if u have any theories, feel free to drop them! they feed my soul c:


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